Lobby: 1,000 farms and 4,500 jobs at risk from Russian boycott

The ban on trade between Russia and the EU is hitting Danish agriculture hard

December 16th, 2014 4:27 pm| by admin

The agricultural interest organisation Landbrug og Fødevarer has warned that almost 1,000 Danish farms are on the verge of closing, at a risk of losing 4,500 jobs and 8 billion kroner in exports, as a result of the trade situation with Russia.

In August, Russia imposed measures to boycott products from the EU. Karen Hækkerup, the former justice minister and now head of Landbrug og Fødevarer, says that this is unfairly impacting on Danish agricultural sector.

“Farmers and food companies have unwillingly become victims of a crisis they’re not involved in,” she said.

“Therefore Landbrug og Fødevarer is calling on the government and parliament to immediately intervene so that growth and workplaces can be secured.”

Proposed 10-point plan The price of food products has plummeted since the boycott came into effect and led to the European market being flooded with goods. The price of pork has fallen by 10 percent, while the price of milk has dropped by 23 percent.

Landbrug og Fødevarer has proposed a 10-point plan for easing the situation for farmers and associated industries. This includes completely stopping the introduction of new economic burdens for the agriculture sector, including a law that has already been proposed to reduce emissions of ammonia by 24 percent.